1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for alerting an occupant of a vehicle that the vehicle is in or approaching a particular area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Collisions between vehicles and other objects or other vehicles is a significant problem. Such collisions can frequently be traced to the vehicle inadvertently being driven or piloted into an area that the vehicle is not supposed to be in, at least at that time. The prior art has typically been to mark such areas and rely on the vigilance of the pilot or operator of the vehicle to observe the signage and to not drive the vehicle into the area. This system works most of the time; however, human operators are prone to human error, and the consequences of such collisions, particularly in certain applications, are so catastrophic that additional measures of preventing such accidents are warranted.
As an example, collisions between aircraft on the ground and other vehicles or aircraft are one significant source of accidents in the aircraft transportation system. One potential cause of a particularly catastrophic collision is an aircraft that is on the ground inadvertently taxiing onto a runway where another aircraft is landing or taking off. Another cause of collisions is an aircraft using the wrong runway. Various systems have been adopted in airports, in part to prevent or minimize such runway incursions. Traditional systems for this purpose include requiring permission from an air traffic controller before an aircraft taxis across a runway, watching and monitoring of the movement of aircraft by air traffic controllers, various signage and markings showing aircraft on the ground where to go, and use of aircraft lights while taxiing so that the aircraft can be seen better by air traffic controllers and pilots of other aircraft. However, the adoption of such systems have not eliminated the problem, and runway incursions have increased in recent years. In responses to these increases, efforts have been undertaken to increase awareness and improve training of pilots, air traffic controllers, and others in a position to cause or prevent runway incursions. However, traditional technology is not a complete solution as it looses its effectiveness in poor visibility or poor weather conditions, and relies on the repeated and consistent avoidance of human error.
As a result, systems have been proposed, including the Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) to monitor runways and alert air traffic controllers when an aircraft or other large object moves onto a runway. Such systems typically use Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) radar or other detection equipment to monitor the airport surface areas. Generally, when the system detects a runway incursion, the air traffic controller is alerted, who then must determine which aircraft or other object triggered the alarm, and notify the pilot of that aircraft (if the infringer is an aircraft) that they have traveled into an area where they should not be. Such systems are expensive, complicated, cumbersome, and difficult to use. Many detection systems are typically required for the perimeters of many runway safety areas, and air traffic controllers must either disable the system when an aircraft has clearance to cross a controlled parameter, or must deal with a false alarm each time such a crossing occurs. In addition, when an unauthorized incursion does occur, precious time is lost while the air traffic controller tries to figure out which aircraft (if it was an aircraft) triggered the detection equipment and notifies the pilot of the infraction. Furthermore, the use of different systems at different airports make the pilot""s jobs more difficult and increase the likelihood of pilot error.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a system to alert the operator or occupant of a vehicle that the vehicle is approaching or within a zone of awareness. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention alerts the pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that is taxiing on the ground that the aircraft is approaching or on a runway, and in some embodiments, which particular runway. Accordingly, it is a feature of this invention to provide a method of reducing unintentional incursions of taxiing aircraft onto runways. Advantages of the present invention include that it is not necessary for all vehicles or aircraft to be equipped with the invention in order for it to work for the vehicles on which it is installed. Similarly, it is not necessary for all geographic areas to adopt the present invention in order for it to work. Therefore, it is not necessary for all vehicles or areas (such as airports) to convert to the system at the same time. Another advantage is that on many vehicles, some or all of the hardware required is already on the vehicles. Therefore, little or no additional hardware is required. Still another advantage is that the present invention is generally not reliant on external systems other than a positioning system such as a GPS. Even another feature of the present invention is that it is typically less expensive than other systems addressing the same problem, avoiding expensive surface equipment with associated maintenance and labor-intensive support.
In furtherance of these features, this invention provides an alerting system for alerting an occupant of a vehicle that the vehicle is approaching a zone of awareness. It may be, as an example, an alerting system for alerting the pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that the aircraft is approaching a zone of awareness surrounding a runway. The alerting system typically includes a database in a storage device located on the vehicle that is configured to store the location of the reference, a positioning system located on the vehicle that is configured to determine the vehicle location, a processor located on the vehicle that is configured to calculate the distance between the vehicle location and the location of the reference, and an alarm located on the vehicle that is configured to alert the occupant when the distance is less than a predetermined value. In other words, the processor is typically configured to calculate the distance between the zone of awareness and the aircraft and initiate the alerting device if the distance is within predetermined parameters.
The reference may be a line or line segment which may have two endpoints and may be defined by the coordinates of each end point. The coordinates may be longitude and latitude, and in some embodiments, the reference is the centerline of a runway and the vehicle is an aircraft. The positioning system may be a global positioning system (GPS), which may have an augmentation system. In some embodiments, there is also an enablement system configured to enable the alerting system when the aircraft is on the ground. The alarm may have an audible indication located on the vehicle, and may also have a silencing feature or system configured to allow the occupant to acknowledge and quiet or silence the audible indication. It may also have a reset feature configured to enable the audible indication after the aircraft exits the zone of awareness. The processor may be configured to rearm the audible indication after the vehicle has left the zone of awareness. The alarm may have a visual indication, which may have a designation of a feature within the zone of awareness such as a runway. The processor may be configured to take into consideration the velocity and direction of travel of the vehicle. It may do this by adjusting the predetermined value, the vehicle location, the location of the reference, or the distance between the vehicle location and the location of the reference. The system may store location coordinate information for substantially all runways at least 3000 feet long that the aircraft is authorized to use.
This invention further provides an alerting system for alerting the pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that the aircraft is within a zone of awareness. The system may have a database on the aircraft containing location coordinate information for a plurality of zones of awareness, a positioning system configured to determine the location coordinates of the aircraft, a display device on the aircraft configured to display the indication to the pilot or flight crew, and a processor on the aircraft configured to: determine whether the aircraft is within a zone of awareness and initiate an indication identifying a zone of awareness the aircraft is within. The location coordinate information for each zone of awareness may be essentially a line. The positioning system may be a GPS, which may have an augmentation system. The predetermined value may be between 100 and 200 feet, and may be approximately 150 feet. The plurality of runways may include substantially all runways at least 3000 feet long that the aircraft is authorized to land at. The indication may be a runway designation. There may be an audible alarm, which may include a voice warning.
This invention even further provides a method of reducing unintentional incursions of taxiing aircraft onto runways. The aircraft typically have a control system and a pilot or flight crew, and the method typically has the steps of storing within the control system the position of a plurality of runways, repeatedly determining the position of the aircraft, calculating the distance between the aircraft and at least one runway, and alerting the pilot or flight crew if the distance is within predetermined parameters. The method may also include the steps of repeatedly determining the velocity of the aircraft, repeatedly determining the heading of the aircraft, and adjusting the predetermined parameters or the position of the aircraft based on the velocity and heading of the aircraft. It may have the step of determining whether the aircraft is on the ground. The alerting may have an audible alarm, and the method may also have the step of the pilot or flight crew manually acknowledging and quieting the alarm. The method may also have the step of re-enabling a quieted alarm when or after the distance between the aircraft and the runway exceeds a predetermined value. The method may also have the step of providing to the pilot or flight crew the designation of the runway that the aircraft is on or near. After the alerting, the pilot or flight crew may contact an air traffic controller for instructions.
The various embodiments of the present invention may include the vehicle that the system is mounted on. The vehicle may be, in some embodiments, an aircraft.